


sunlight and starlight

by hells_intern



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Siblings, Fencing, Gen, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sisters, Snakes, Unrequited Crush, it's my fanfic and i decide the canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27186020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hells_intern/pseuds/hells_intern
Summary: a what if au where the king and queen of corona have another child in the time it takes for rapunzel to return to them
Kudos: 6





	1. PROLOUGE

Once upon a time, a drop of sun fell from the heavens.

From this single drop grew a beautiful flower of golden petals, hidden far far away in the twisting forests of the country. Those who spoke of it told stories of the power it possessed, enough to heal the sick and injured.

Over the centuries, the stories began to die down and the flower faded away to a myth within dusty old books. And so the flower stayed within its twisting forests.

Waiting to be found.

\----

Once upon a time, a beautiful queen and noble king ruled graciously over their kingdom of Corona. When news came to the people of a soon to be addition to their royal family, there was much rejoicing.

Until the beautiful queen fell ill.

At first there was a hope that she would pull through just as she and her husband always had in Corona’s hour of need. But the days passed by and it became more clear with each doctor called to the castle walls that the beautiful queen was only becoming more sick by the minute.

With everyday the noble king grew more desperate to save his wife from her grave fate. He began to turn to methods outside of medicine, willing to believe in anything if they could just save her. 

He found his answer. From a court sage.

The sage was doubtful of his myth but the noble king was desperate and in pain from the sight of his wife’s sickly state. And so the sage told the noble king of a story from long ago. 

A story of a flower of gold with the power to save those at death’s door.

With no other options left, the noble king ordered his men to search day and night for the flower of gold the sage spoke of. 

His men did find that golden flower, hidden deep within the oldest forests of the country. Dutifully they dug it up and brought the flower to the noble king.

The legend of old did not say how to use the golden flower’s healing power, but the sage did what he could and brewed it into a tea to save the beautiful queen. With her husband’s help, the beautiful queen drank from the goblet and, by miracle or by fate, was cured.

Soon after the beautiful queen and noble king would celebrate the birth of a baby girl with long hair just as golden as the flower that had saved her mother’s life. The entire kingdom rejoiced at the news of the birth, the miracle princess that would one day rule with a just as benevolent hand. The streets of Corona were full of song that day and the night sky was lit by a lantern for the miracle princess.

It wouldn’t last.

Just as the beautiful queen and noble king thought they had at last reached their happily ever after with their daughter to love, it was taken from them. 

Not a day had passed from the miracle princess’s birth, when the beautiful queen and the noble king awoke to her daughter’s crying. When they looked to the princess’s cribe, a twisted crone hidden behind a dark cloak was sneering back at them with their daughter clutched to her chest. Before the beautiful queen and noble king could act, they were both gone.

All joined in the search for their princess that night but no matter how hard they looked, the twisted crone and the lost princess were nowhere to be found. The kingdom mourned for the lost princess and for the loss of their queen and king, who fell silent for a long time after their daughter’s disappearance. 

The lost princess’s birthday would soon become a day of remembrance, where all would light a lantern and send it out into the night sky in the hope that maybe one day the lost princess would find her way back to them. As time passed, that hope became dimmer and dimmer.

A year later, months before the lost princess’s first birthday, the beautiful queen and noble king gave a new announcement to their kingdom - the birth of their second daughter. 

The kingdom celebrated their new princess, with a quiet melancholy that no one dared speak of in this moment of happiness.

The new princess was a quiet thing who took more after her father in looks. The new princess had the same dark hair and piercing blue eyes - the opposite of her lost sister, was the unspoken sentiment. 

With the new princess’s birth, the beautiful queen and noble king increased the security of their kingdom tenfold. Those in the castle would say that neither parent could sleep soundly for a week after the new princess was born, constantly shooting awake in the night with a wild paranoia that could only be soothed by the new princess’s sleeping form.

Slowly the new princess grew up within the lavish walls of the castle, never seen by the people without a guard or two looking over her. Though some may have thought the security could be suffocating for the young princess, none would disagree with the sentiment of the beautiful queen and noble king - not after the disappearance of the lost princess.

More and more years passed and the princess became older, training to one day be the new queen. In all that time, she and the queen and king were happy, though they never would forget the lost princess nor the lanterns that they’d faithfully light every year in a still lingering hope.

In all those years, the lost princess never returned.

Until she did.


	2. I - beginning of what, the middle?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> watch me not update this fast ever again

A quiet steady knock was what woke Nadine up that morning.

She couldn’t help but groan to herself at the heavy drowsy feeling holding her down and called her to stay under the thick soft blankets hiding her from view. For a moment she considered ignoring the knocking to get even a minute longer of shut-eye.

Last night had been the Lost Princess’s anniversary festival and, as was tradition, her parents insisted Nadine stayed up with them until midnight so that they could release the first lantern as a family.

For a sister she’d never know.

Nadine rolled over in her bed, now wanting to stay in for a new reason. The day after the festival was always... emotionally taxing, to say the least.

Silently Nadine let her sleep heavy lids take the lead and slowly closed her eyes. Mom and Dad could wait a few minutes longer for her to wake up…

For a moment everything was silent and Nadine smiled tiredly. A sweet bliss before the storm-

The knocking started up again even louder.

She groaned and finally rolled out of bed. Blearily blinking in the morning sunlight, Nadine stumbled to the door praying she wouldn’t trip and break her nose on the hard floor.

"Yeah, yeah, Cassandra, I'm awake-"

She faltered at the older maid standing there instead.

"Ethel," she corrected, suddenly aware of her bed hair, "good morning. Where's Cassandra?"

Ethel just gave a patient but worn smile.

“Lady Nadine,” she instead started. “There’s someone here to see you and your parents.”

A groan of tired anticipation built up in Nadine’s chest. She forced it down before Ethel could overhear.

Over the years there’d been many other nobles, both from Corona and foreign, knocking on the castle door to _personally_ deliver their condolences. And either the nobles would overstay their welcome or attempt some kind of negotiation with her family without reading the room. Her parents never enjoyed the visits either, especially after such a sensitive day, but what Nadine knew of diplomacy was enough for her to know they couldn’t turn them away as quickly as they’d like.

And she knew that she’d be expected to attend.

Even with the urge to sleep weighing her down, Nadine made her way to the vanity against her wall and sat as gracefully as someone can on only five hours of sleep after a night of festivities. 

Which is to say she almost fell over against the vanity.

Ethel chose not to say anything as Nadine picked up her brush to comb her hair into something presentable.

“Thank you, Ethel. Will you tell my parents I’ll be there soon?”

The maid did a curtsy in the mirror’s reflection before disappearing out the door.

Nadine’s hands moved as they have a million times before as she pulled her hair back into a loose bun, just as she always wore it - short enough for her to feel comfortable while still satisfying her mother’s wish for her to have long hair. 

For some reason Nadine just hadn’t felt comfortable wearing her own down for a long time. Carefully she tugged two sections out to frame her face like her mother always gently asked for.

As she picked up her earrings, Nadine hesitated. 

_“Being just a bit late wouldn’t matter… right?”_

She wasn’t in the mood to tolerate pushy nobles.

But a quick glance out the window to the climbing sun told her she spent long enough procrastinating, and so Nadine jumped into action getting dressed, struggling to get her remaining flat on while she hurried down the long corridors of the castle. 

The sound of footsteps and metal clinking filled her with a nervous adrenaline and Nadine quickly stomped the flat on as she stood up straight with her hands folded in front of her as taught and a calm practiced look of indifference.

The guards did a visible jump when they came around the corner only to be face to face with the princess.

“My Lady!,” they both hurried in unison as they held a fist to their hearts like tradition dictated. One of the guard’s spears almost fell out of his grip.

“The king and queen are at the easten terrace, Lady Nadine,” the more collected of the guards reported.

Nadine gave them both a polite head nod. “Thank you, Clark, Vince. As you both were.”

She walked off with practiced delicate steps, hands still folded before her. Intently she listened to the sound of the guards’ steps fading before Nadine picked up the front of her dress and broke into a sprint to the eastern terrace. 

_Her parents were gonna kill her for being late._

She almost tripped as she grabbed onto the golden handles of the doors to stop her momentum. Quickly Nadine checked her appearance in a nearby mirror, carefully tucking fallen hair back into her bun and making sure the locket her parents had given her was straightened on its chain - there were high expectations from nobles.

She checked and double checked and triple checked before the fact that she couldn’t drag it out any more became too glaringly obvious.

Again Nadine took hold of the golden handles, yet this time as if they’d snap under her grip if she was too forceful. With an anxious bated breath, she opened the door.

And stared at her parents on the floor holding tightly onto two strangers.

The girl between them all was certainly someone she knew she’d never met before but looked frighteningly familiar, dressed in a purple peasant gown with choppy brown hair that looked too rough to have been a fashion choice. Her green eyes fluttered open almost dazed before brightening up - right as she focused on Nadine.

The girl stood up with a delighted gasp but Nadine could only focus on the way her parents looked so reluctant to let her go.

So focused that she couldn’t help but jump when the girl was suddenly blocking her view of them with an awed grin.

“Oh my gosh, you look so much like- you really must be-”

Nadine leaned back in discomfort as the girl who couldn’t decide what to say took her hands instead, looking desperately to her parents still holding each other for help. Their gaze was only focused on the girl’s back with wistful smiles and distant looks.

_What on earth-?_

She was brought back with a squeal and a sudden warmth surrounding her as the girl jumped at Nadine for an embrace. Nadine stumbled back with a disgruntled squeak under the unexpected weight of another person leaning on her. Awkwardly her hands hovered above the girl’s shoulders, not sure if she was allowed to push her away.

After what felt like hours, the girl pulled back with a beaming smile - and finally seemed to realize Nadine’s discomfort. A range of emotions flashed across her face from regret to anxiety to fear before the girl smiled a fragile smile and carefully pulled away, holding her hands to her chest. Nadine distracted herself from whatever that was by straightening her locket again out of habit.

“I’m sorry, I just-,” Nadine looked at the girl again in time to see her smiling tearfully and on reflex forced a weary smile. Oh god, what was happening-? “You’re my sister, aren’t you?”

Her heart stopped in chest, and her blood ran cold.

_Her what?_

“I… I should be the one apologizing. I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” Nadine carefully stated while taking a subtle step back. Someone approached and Nadine glanced over to see her father standing there with his own tearful smile, arm still around her mother.

“She’s home, Nadine,” he murmured to her.

She suddenly felt very light headed, staring at her father’s joyful expression and being vividly aware of the girl- of her _sister_ \- waiting for her reaction. Nadine forced herself to look aware from her father’s piercing gaze only to end up making eye contact with the man still awkwardly lingering behind them all.

…

She was going to pass out- no, she was going to throw up. She was going to do both if her legs didn’t give out under her first. Nadine forced herself to swallow a very dry feeling as her ears rang.

The next thing she was only vaguely aware of was suddenly running down the winding empty corridors of the castle and throwing open her bedroom doors. Nadine almost tripped over her own feet in her panicked rush to her vanity, roughly yanking the drawer open to stare down at its contents - a commissioned piece of the Lost Princess that had once been hidden in her locket.

Nadine gripped the silver locket tightly for comfort.

… her sister was home.


	3. II - life goes on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wha-o! consequences of your actions? terrible

Six months.

Six months since the Lost Pri- V-  _ Rapunzel _ had made her way into Nadine and her parents’ lives.

Six months of quick impromptu escapes and careful conversations when her- new? old? sister managed to find her in the winding halls of the castle. 

Nadine still remembers walking into the beauty room only to come face to face with Rapunzel’s bright-eyed look of wonder as Cassandra,  _ her _ lady-in-waiting, carefully cut her hair into something more to the princess’s style. She remembers the sudden wave of panic and turning sharply on her heel, yet not sharp enough to miss her smile turning into a hurt expression. Guilt squeezed her heart every time that expression popped into Nadine’s head but the crushing panic she felt any time they were in a room together was too strong to shake.

That’s how Nadine found herself tucked away in the corner of the guards’ weapons room, the only place in the castle she hasn’t seen Rapunzel step near, painstakingly washing her sabre. It took years of begging for the king to finally give in and have one cast for her - and even then he couldn’t let her go anywhere without a guard! 

Nadine smiled weary at how excited she’d felt when she got her hands on one anyways. 

The sabre itself wasn’t anything flashy or fancy. It was just really just meant to be something she could practice fencing with, since even then her father didn’t want her to try to use her new weapon as something to try to justify leaving the castle on her own. But it was still one of her favorite possessions, and she didn’t mind taking the time to make sure it was properly cleaned and polished. 

It helped calm her down if anything.

And it also gave her an excuse to stay in the weapons room.

Nadine bit her lip softly as she gently swished the sword through the bucket of water. She didn’t doubt her parents would be upset with her later when her own newest lady-in-waiting finally tells them about her disappearance, but she could at least hope the girl, Lene, wouldn’t end up punished too… 

The lady-in-waiting was the only other person Nadine had been avoiding just as much as her sister. These recent months were probably just as hard for her as they’d been for Nadine.

She groaned, letting her head fall back against the cold stone wall. Great… now she felt guilty for another reason.

“I see you’re as cheerful as ever,” a familiar voice ranged out in the empty room.

Nadine jolted up straight, sabre falling, feeling like she'd been electrocuted.

“Cassandra!”

And here where there were no king or queen to see, she let herself throw her arms around the dark haired girl leaning against the doorway.

For a moment Cass tensed as always before Nadine felt her arms wrap around her too. With the unspoken permission, she let herself indulge and hug her closer.

“I missed you,” Nadine admitted before she could think, muffled by the white fabric.

After a heartbeat she felt a hand move to hold the back of her head.

“I missed you too, Nadie.”

She smiled against Cass’s dress. Familiar warmth of a friend and nicknames only Cass used… she didn't want to let go. 

She knew she had to anyways.

Finally Nadine pulled away, lingering for a moment when Cass’s hands ended up in hers before moving away to pick up the fallen sabre. Carefully she flicked it through the air and watched the water droplets fly off.

“Are you ready for our spar then? ‘Cause you definitely aren’t dressed the part,” Nadine said, smiling over her shoulder.

Cass was already setting down her headdress and grabbing some training padding hanging up on a nearby rack. She strapped it around herself fast with practiced movements before tossing a matching one to Nadine, who just barely managed to catch it before it hit the floor and did her best to strap hers on herself.

Even if they only sparred with dulled blades, getting hit by a chunk of metal wasn’t fun.

“Please - you know better than anyone I don't need to change to  _ win. _ What's the score now? Twenty to zero?"

"Wha- No! We’ve had ties!"

"You're right. Eighteen to zero."

Nadine huffed with no real bite behind it and tried to swat at Cass's shoulder, who just dodged with a grin as she jogged to her side of their impromptu arena. Nadine tried to hide her smile as she readied her sabre.

It's easy to get swept up in the motions of their sparring. 

Steps came naturally as breathing from her lessons with Cass, turning into a frenzied kind of dance between the two with the clashing of their sabres as music. 

Keeping an eye out for openings fades to second priority when she's able to see and just  _ exist _ this close to her closest friend again. Months apart could never be enough to erase her image from Nadine’s mind but it didn't stop the warm feeling in her chest from being able to be near Cass again.

Intense dark eyes focused on their sabres and steps. Jaw clenched when she braces herself. Strands of hair that fall out of place and stick against her forehead.

She barely notices when the sabre is at her neck. 

" _ Nineteen _ to zero," Cassandra pants with a smug light in her eyes.

Nadine (carefully) tosses her sabre near it’s rack and Cass lowers her own back to her side.

"Yeah, alright - I'll give you that one," Nadine smiles.

She didn’t mind losing if it meant they could just spend more time talking. She watches her friend place the training sabre back in its rightful place. She doesn’t realize she was even walking to stand with her until her hands on Cassandra’s shoulder.

Cass looks at her, confused but expectant and Nadine just blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

“I missed you.”

Embarrassment flutters in her chest.  _ She already said that! _

“I-I mean, I just… missed you a lot.” Nadine squeezes Cass’s shoulder in an attempt to hold back all the embarrassing thoughts threatening to spill out. Something warm burns in her chest that she doesn’t care to find out more about. “It’s really good to see you again…”

A hand rests on the one holding onto her friend’s sleeve and gently detaches it, just to hold hers.

“Y’know if you really missed me that much, you could’ve just asked me over to your room. You never had a problem pulling me into on the spot sleepovers before.”

Nadine flushes with embarrassment and grabs blindly at her locket - with her free hand, of course. She didn’t want to let go of Cass’s hand.

“I- Well, I just didn’t know if you had too much going on, with being-” 

It was suddenly difficult to get words past her throat.

“... reassigned and all.”

She swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the strange feeling overwhelming her. Cass just squeezed her hand.

“She’s not that bad, y’know.”

The world stilled.

“... what?”

“Look, Nadie-” she just stared at Cass as the handmaiden took her other hand in hers, “-I know you have your hang-ups about this whole sister thing but-”

“Cass,” Nadine interrupted trying to force down her fight-or-flight instinct. “I don’t think I’m ready to talk about this.”

“ _ Nadie,  _ it’s been  _ six months _ ,” Cass insisted.

“I’m well aware of how time works,” Nadine manages to get out. She tugs her hands out of Cass’s grip to pick up the fallen sabre.

“And  _ I’m _ well aware you two haven’t had a single conversation yet.”

Nadine stiffly stalks to the weapon rack to put away her sabre. Cass follows.

“I’ve been busy,” she carefully says.

“With what?”

“With- her coronation is soon. There’s a lot to check over-”

“A lot that the  _ King and Queen _ look over,” Cass interrupts. 

She falls silent, still holding tight on the sabre handle.

A hand touches her shoulder.

She doesn’t turn around.

“Nadie… you have to talk to her eventually.”

“I-I know, I just can’t do it right  _ now- _ ”

“Why not?”

“It’s just not the right time. Can’t we talk about this later?”

“If you’ll let Rapunzel be there too.”

“ _ Cass, _ please.” Her heart was beating too loudly to think. “I’m not ready to-”

“When will you be?”

The quiet question stops the beating. Suddenly all Nadine can focus on is just  _ getting away. _

__ Before she can think of what the hell she’s doing, Nadine’s pulling away harshly desperately trying to remember the nearest exit with a white-knuckled grip on her locket that almost threatens to tear it off its chain.

“ _ Maybe I’ll never be _ !”

She feels the blood rush to her face in an angered kind of embarrassment as Cass just looks at her with a sorry look. Cass opens her mouth to say something, but by now her flight instinct is controlling her every move and Nadine practically flies out the side door just to get away back to her room.

So focused she is on fleeing, that she doesn’t even notice the dispirited princess watching silently from the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just gals being pals


	4. III - better than nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> its my fanfic and i decide the timeline <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully soon.... A Rapunzel Chapter......................

The dead rat swung slowly from side to side. Antoine the boa just watched it lazily from his sunning rock, seemingly uninterested.

Nadine knew better, though. Her grip tightened on the feeding tongs.

Like clockwork, Antoine suddenly lunged at his treat and successfully managed to shove half into his mouth before falling with an unceremonious thud. He didn’t seem to care for the fall, too busy trying to swallow his prey whole.

Carefully Nadine pulls the tongs out of the enclosure and closes the glass doors to give the boa some privacy. His enclosure that took up one of the large corners of her room made him feel almost more like a roommate than a pet sometimes. 

One that happened to be covered in scales. 

And was four feet long....

She wiped down the tongs before putting them back in the drawer with the rest of Antoine’s things.

Now that feeding was over, she only had a few hours to prepare for lessons-

_Knock knock!_

Nadine’s hands stilled for a moment mid-reach towards one of the many books crowding her bookshelf.

Lene should’ve still been busy with her duties, so who…?

She tugged open the door and paled at the sight of her sister’s sheepish smile.

“Do you have a moment?,” she asked.

Nadine opened her mouth to decline with any excuse she could think of. Cold maybe? At least until she caught her father’s expectant gaze as he stood behind the older princess.

“Of course,” she found herself responding instead in her most practiced neutral tone, taking a step to the side so Rapunzel could enter. 

Nadine had always been told to use the tone in high-level diplomatic events. She figured talking to her until-now absent sister counted.

Out of habit Nadine kept her head bowed slightly, watching Rapunzel walk barefoot across the marble floors, followed by her father’s boots and the hem of her mother’s gown.

Soft hands cupped her face, gently forcing her to look up at her mother’s reassuring smile. Her mother was well-aware of Nadine’s anxieties towards… well, pretty much everything. Nadine managed a weak smile back as her mother let go and joined her father’s side.

Nadine remained standing despite the comfy chair she had beside her.

“What’s this about, then?,” she managed in a carefully even tone.

Her father was the one to speak, as expected.

“The Contest of the Crowns is already upon us, and your mother-” (said woman subtly elbowed him) “- _we_ thought that you’d both want to spend some time together before the big event.”

Her heart dropped in her chest. Nadine knew fully well that the Contest of the Crowns meant - the expectation that she and Rapunzel would work _together_ , just like all the other sister princesses of the other Seven Kingdoms would.

She tries to stay composed as she fiddles with her locket.

“O-oh yes, we _should,_ but Cass-”

“-has already agreed that it’s only right for Corona’s two _princesses_ to be competing together in Rapunzel’s very _first_ princess event.”

The underlying tone to her father’s voice was clear. Try as she might, Nadine wouldn’t be allowed to have Cass as her partner this year. 

She wouldn’t be allowed to use this as another excuse to avoid talking to her sister.

Nadine swallowed thickly.

“Yes, father.”

She tried not to focus on Rapunzel’s concerned look.

“We’ll leave you girls to it then,” her mother said gently. She took her husband’s arm and led him out of the room, giving them both one last smile over her shoulder.

“I know you’ll both do great in the Contest,” she called as the two left.

The doors’ weight slammed behind them. Silence filled the room as the two princesses just stood awkwardly.

“So!,” Rapunzel started cheerfully, finally taking a seat on a cabriole cross-legged. “What do you usually do to prepare for this kind of stuff?”

Nadine took the chance to cross the room back to her bookshelf and hopefully put enough space between them to calm the adrenaline rushing through her.

“It’s hard when the events are always different,” she replied stiffly and grabbed one of the books from her tutors off a shelf, “but knowing the Kingdoms, the events will probably be related to ‘princess duties’.”

Nadine flipped through the pages of ‘Expectations of a Proper Princess’, scanning the chapter titles.

“Formal dancing, animal taming and fancy, embroidery, table manners...” 

A frown crossed her face as she slammed the book shut.

“And a battle for Ingvarr.”

“Ingvarr… the kingdom of warrior women!,” Rapunzel said, sounding a lot like a student calling out the answer to her teacher.

Nadine stared at her for a moment.

“... Yeah. Them.” She handed Rapunzel the book. “Usually the Queen of Ingvarr wants us to ‘prove our worth’ in some kind of fight. With Cass....”

Nadine flushed as the memory of yesterday’s duel danced in her head.

“I-I mean, we’ll probably have to practice for that, so…”

She trailed off, not knowing where she was going with her sentence. She didn’t want to have her sparring lessons with Cass _and_ her sister, but her father was expecting them to spend time together regardless of that, and the Contest should be soon, but what if there wasn’t enough time to-

“I’m a lot stronger than I look,” Rapunzel unknowingly interrupted with a smile.

Nadine looked to her in surprise. Rapunzel’s sleeves and hem of her dress were both too long to tell how much was muscle and how much wasn’t but… Rapunzel did come home with an outlaw while apparently being chased by three others - she didn’t know much about how Rapunzel’s life was before returning, but she had to have learned some kind of self defense just from that, right?

“Okay,” Nadine finally breathed, taking a step back. “I trust you can study on your own?,” she asked with a hand sneaking up to her locket.

Her sister faltered.

“Can you not, or-”

“No, no! I was just, _hoping_ that we could read up about all _this_ -” she motioned to the book, “-together. As a team…”

She smiled up at Nadine, radiant in her hope. Nadine could tell why her parents had taken to her so quickly.

And it made her all the more guilty at how strongly she just wanted her sister to leave her alone.

To be honest, she didn’t know if she ever genuinely believed that Rapunzel could return, or if she just didn’t say anything that would hurt her parents. And now that she was finally here, Nadine didn’t want to face what it meant.

“I’m sorry, Rapunzel,” she began. Immediately the princess’s hopeful look wilted and Nadine forced back a wince. 

Maybe… maybe she could spend time with Rapunzel tomorrow. Just- not today when it was sprung on her out of nowhere. That’d be okay, right?

She ignored the whispers of doubt in her mind.

“I… I have lessons soon, I need to get ready for them. Why don’t we study tomorrow instead? In the gardens…”

Somewhere that would feel less claustrophobic than a closed room with just the two of them.

The light seemed to come back to her eyes in that moment and Rapunzel smiled again. Guilt curled further in her chest.

Rapunzel… didn’t deserve any of how she felt. 

“Tomorrow!” she practically sang as she jumped up from the chair. Nadine froze when she pulled her into a quick hug, before twirling to the door. “I’ll be up bright and early, just for you!”

Oh god, she was a terrible person for not wanting to spend time with this walking ray of sunlight, wasn’t she?

Nadine was only vaguely aware of herself nodding along to Rapunzel’s words. Her sister beamed at her before she left.

“I’ll see you soon!,” she called as she disappeared down the long hall. Cass appeared from nowhere, practically running to catch up to her.

Nadine stood in her doorway, feeling numb as she held a hand back in an attempt at a wave.

“See you soon..,” she echoed softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like i should clarify that in this au, since nadine grew up in the castle, that means her and cass grew up together as childhood friends - which is both why nadine feels iffy about not doing everything together with cass anymore and why cass is now a bit more socialable and open to the idea of handmaids and princesses being friends
> 
> anyways heres a picture of nadine i drew some time ago: https://adios-gatos.tumblr.com/post/638136172137365504/tried-out-the-tangled-series-art-style-with

**Author's Note:**

> the title and plot isnt set in stone but i hope yall enjoy what i have for now


End file.
